Denita Dowell‐Reavis, principal of Faith Elementary School, recently completed Distinguished Leadership in Practice, a yearlong program for school principals designed by the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals Association.

The program is sponsored by the American Express Foundation through the North Carolina Alliance for School Leadership Development.

The Distinguished Leadership in Practice program uses a nontraditional professional development model that is aligned to the performance evaluation standards adopted by the State Board of Education.

The program is designed to limit principals’ time away from their schools by allowing them to attend face-to-face sessions once every other month while accessing online assignments, materials and coaching in between.

Principals engage in a series of authentic activities throughout the yearlong experience that are designed to build the capacity of their schools and their own capacity as “distinguished” school leaders.

“The leadership of the school principal is by far one of the most important factors in school quality,” said Shirley Prince, executive director of the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals Association. “By completing this very rigorous program, our … graduates have demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement by working to improve their leadership skills as they simultaneously improve their schools.”

The program is offered in Chapel Hill and serves principals across the state.